Google-y Goodness!

Yesterday, the head of Android and Chrome unveiled some new toys. Most of which had already been leaked out in the days & weeks leading up to the event, so very little surprises took place. Except for one. But allow me to bore you first with a few things we already knew.

Well, I was wrong.

Yes, I can admit when I'm wrong. Although sometimes it's harder to coax it out of me, depending on what I was wrong about... but I don't mind admitting my error on a guess.

If you read the previous post, I guessed that the breakfast with Sundar Pichai would be the announcement of Android 4.3, the new Nexus 7, as well as Motorola's Moto X. Well, you can scratch off the Moto X, since Motorola has sent out invitations for an event on August 1st.

Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't talk much about it since Google will spend $500 million on advertising, so I'll keep it short. Rumors around the device are stating it will have a 4.5 inch 720p HD display with a Snapdragon S4 processor, and 2GB or RAM. It's also hinted at 16 GB of internal storage, but it's likely to have a 8GB or 32GB variant, or at least an external SD slot. If the Moto X doesn't ship with Android 4.3 on board, I would bet that it will be pushed out before the end of the year. It's also rumored to have a 10 megapixel camera on the back, with a 2 megapixel forward facing lens. Of course, it will have everything else usually found in good smartphones; Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, etc. No rumor on price yet, but with these specs, odds are it will fall into the all-too-familiar super-phone slot of $299 with a new contract. Of course, if Motorola and Google can get the price down to $199, then this phone will be more popular that you'd think.

This is the phone that will hopefully make Motorola a serious contender again. What do you think?

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Google doesn't invite the media to breakfast because it just learned how to make the perfect crepe. And they certainly don't invite the media to a meal with Sundar Pichai, the head of Android and Chrome, without having some new goodies to show off.

All signs point to the breakfast with Sundar Pichai as being the official unveiling of the long-rumored Moto X, the refresh of the hugely successful Nexus 7, and an update to Android 4.3 to begin its rollout.

How Much Do You Love Facebook?

Earlier today, Mark Zuckerberg was happy to show off Facebook's "new home on Android". Many sites and blogs were in a rumor frenzy for the past few days about a Facebook phone which, in the end, fell flat. Today's Facebook announcement was to showcase Facebook Home which is simply a new homescreen launcher.

What A Week!

If you're reading this site, then you know that I like to play with the new gadgets and software. Unfortunately, my wallet forbids me from buying the new gear when it comes out, so I have to settle for checking out software.

It's is no secret that Verizon Wireless is possibly the slowest when it comes to updating their phones' software, so if you want to play with the latest dessert treat from Google... you need to install it yourself. So I did. Eventually. You see, initially, I only wanted to update the camera software so I could check out the Photoshere feature in the Android 4.2 update. Unfortunately, when I installed the camera update, it broke. I couldn't open the camera nor the photo gallery.

Someone Call Security!

I've long been an advocate of security on electronic devices. Whether it's your main computer, or your smartphone or tablet. Some sort of security software is always the first thing I install on a new device, and that is unlikely to ever change. And I'm not talking about anti-virus or malware (although those are important also)... I'm referring to software that can help you locate your device if it is lost, or worse, stolen.

I'm not sure if I have mentioned an app called Cerberus before, but in case I haven't, let me tell you a little story. Across the pond, in the United Kingdom, on a tech centered message board called Overclockers UK, a new thread was created called "This man knows who stole my phone, can anyone help". It continued:

"Well about 3 hours ago some lovely person let themselves into my friends house and stole amongst other things my mobile phone."

Would You Bank in the Cloud?

I will admit that there are some apps out there that I do not know about until they arrive on the Android platform. Sometimes, even a very popular app, like Flipboard, can slip through unnoticed. I attribute this to the fact that I have no iOS device. The girlfriend has an iPod that is used for an alarm clock, but that is the only Apple branded object in our home. For that reason, I am behind the curve when it comes to iOS apps. And I got a little behind again.

We Have A New Contender!

Yesterday, in a very Apple-like virtual keynote, the founder of Ubuntu, Mark Shuttleworth, unveiled the plans to bring the popular operating system to the world of smartphones. It is certainly an uphill battle for them against the current crop of Apple and Android offerings... but it does look pretty good.

Read The Small Print

This past week has been particularly nice, because I've been on vacation. We decided to not to travel anywhere for the holidays this year, so we just stayed at home and enjoyed our sanctuary. The majority of our holiday shopping was finished before the vacation started which means we didn't even need to head out into the stores for any last-minute gifts. My company had our offices parties the week before last and all gifts were given then. So really... the only thing I had to do on my vacation was to simply enjoy it!

Just A Thought

Does anyone remember the Lapdock? It was a laptop-like device that did nothing. Well, until you plugged your smartphone into it, and it turned into, basically, a netbook. In theory, it was a neat idea. In reality, it sucked. It sucked so bad that the Lapdock never saw its 2nd birthday. There are a few reasons for it's demise:

Watch Out Instagram... Snapseed Is Here!

Earlier today, Google announced the arrival of Snapseed to Android. If you have ever wanted to do any sort of photo editing on your phone or tablet, then I will suggest you give this app a try. It has all the functionality of similar apps, such as Pixlr, and the well known Instagram, but it also incorporates more fine tuning features like you would find in expensive apps like Photoshop Touch.

Unlike Instagram, it does not require you to register with their site to use their app, which I, for one, am thankful for. I really dislike having to sign up for an account just to use an app.

And unlike Photoshop Touch, the cost of Snapseed is free for Android and iOS devices. And free, my friends, is a great price. Snapseed also has a desktop version for $19.99 so you can do more precise editing than you could on your phone or tablet. Yes, it's $20, but that is peanuts when you compare it to the price of Adobe's Photoshop at $699.00.

How To Keep the Tech You Work So Hard For

You have spent many hours slaving away at work to save as many pennies as you can so that you may go splurge on that awesome new gadget you have been drooling over for months. You end up not only buying the device, but you also go over budget by purchasing the extended warranty and a protective shell just in case you drop it.

Well, that's all fine and good, if you are worried about you doing something to damage your new toy. But what about the things you don't plan for? Like your shiny new gadget getting...... stolen. No extended warranty will protect the data stored within the device, and certainly no protective bumper will return it to your hands. So what can you do?

Just another point on my nerd card

I have installed Cyanogenmod 7 on my old Droid X2. The X2 was a really good Android phone when I first got it, but after a few Motorola updates and Android updates... and 100+ apps installed... there were bugs that just wouldn't go away. Too many force closes, freezes and random reboots, just to name a few. I tried the normal route by removing all the apps and only installing those that were used on a daily basis. To no avail. Many months ago, I rooted the phone and removed and handful of the Verizon bloatware apps, and the random reboots ceased, but it was still running quite slow. It was just prior to this time that I began wanting to sample other flavors of Android, the most well known version being Cyanogenmod.

Unfortunately, at that time, all I did was root. I am not a developer, and digging into the OS of my phone that deep to install something else... well it scared me. I couldn't afford to replace it if I bricked it. So I left it alone. Until now.

Dear Apple,

On January 9, 2007, you turned to mobile phone world on its head when you introduced the iPhone. Sure, there had been touchscreen phones around for years prior, but you did it right. No stylus, full internet browsing capabilities, MP3 player, and a phone, all on a device that was one giant touchscreen. We were impressed.

Yesterday, you unveiled the iPhone 5. I have one word for you:

Meh.

"Good artists copy, great artists steal."

Thank you to Steve Jobs for that pearl of wisdom. One would think, with that mentality, stealing would be somewhat tolerated. Not so, apparently. Stealing is only tolerated if Apple is the thief.

We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.

• Triumph of the Nerds (1996)

But don't you dare steal a stolen idea from Apple.

They look old because they are brand new. Wait... what?

My grandmother always had many different photographs on display at her house. She had at least one framed photo on every shelf, and almost every photo had a faded orange tint to it. This is what happens to pictures that were taken 40, 50, even 60 years ago. This is also what happens to a digital picture taken 30 seconds ago. At least, this is what happens when you use Instagram. Personally, I don't understand why someone wants to age their pictures. The great thing about digital photography is that there is always a crisp, clean version at your fingertips (that is, of course, if you have uploaded it to the internet). A version that will always be as vibrant as the moment it was taken, or at least, as far as your camera will let it.

I love technology!

And honestly, who doesn't? Technology has given us the ability to get our messages instantly, instead of waiting days, weeks, or even months for the Pony Express to arrive. In 15 years, we have gone from an era of heavy, expensive, and boring phones with no address book, no email, no texting, and no screen like this one: